Le Blanc denied claims the stunt had caused friction between him and Evans

It was reported at the time that the stunt had sparked a bust up between Evans and his co-host.

LeBlanc later dismissed such claims.

Today the BBC Trust has confirmed it will not take the appeal further on the basis that it had "no reasonable prospect of succeeding" and said the main issues of the complaints related to show planning, which rested with the BBC rather than the regulator.

Director-general Tony Hall said this week he was looking forward to a second series with LeBlanc expected to be its lead presenter.

Despite its ratings woes and critical mauling in the UK, the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, insisted the new show was even bigger than it was when it was fronted by Jeremy Clarkson.